Introduction
Zambia is a landlocked country in the sub-Saharan Africa
and is boarded by Malawi, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Zambia has a population of about 10
million.
Language
Zambia has 72 tribes. The official language spoken is
English and most urban Zambians speak it very well. Although English is not
often used in rural areas, communication would not be a problem.
Climate
Zambia has such a pleasant weather that it is nicknamed the
“air conditioned country”. It has three main seasons. These are spring; warm
and wet (December – April), winter; cool and dry (May – August) and summer; hot
and dry (September – November). October is particularly a hot month especially
in the river valleys. Summer temperatures average around 26-30 degrees Celsius,
while winter temperatures are approximately 20 degrees Celsius during the day.
Nights can be quite cold, especially without the heating systems. It is
advisable to use strong sunscreen and a shady hat for protection from hot
African sun in any season.
The climate is ideal for spectacular days and cool
evenings. The very hot months from October to November are very good times for
fishing and animals congregate along rivers as the dry season comes to an end.
The rains bring abundant bird’s life to areas that turn a
brilliant green from the rains. The roads in the Parks are quite inaccessible
during the rainy season from late November to early March when they re-open.
Zambia’s spectacular attraction is the Victoria Falls with
a curtain of water falling 110 meters deep, locally known as Mosi-oa-tuny.
Literary interpreted it means the “smoke that thunders”, due to its thundering
water that sprays the mist high up into the sky, making it look like smoke.
Zambia also boasts of splendid national parks with a wide variety of wildlife.
Some of the parks to visit are Lwangwa national park, Kafue national park, Mosi-oa-tunya national park and many more. There are many heritage sites to
visit around the country and in Livingstone town.
Safaris
There are walking and driving safaris locally into the
Mosi-oa-tunya Game Park, where you can see white rhino at close quarters, plenty
giraffe and many other animals.
Birding safaris with “Birding with Bob” the famous
ornithologist are easily arranged. He can take you anywhere in
Zambia and see the most spectacular birds. There are over 450 species recorded in some
areas.
Safaris can be arranged into the Chobe National Park in
Botswana, and see the famous Okavango Delta, well known for its huge populations
of elephants.
Safaris to most parks in Zambia can be arranged by the
Lodge/Guesthouse you are booked at. There are numerous very amazing Parks like
the well known Luangwa National Park in the north-east, the lower Zambezi
National Park in the South where one can come into contact with lions and
elephants at a very close quarters.
